


The Raven's Path

by Vertiser



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Depression, F/F, Grief, Nightmares, Post-Save Arcadia Bay Ending, sacrifice chloe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-02-15 17:14:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18674008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vertiser/pseuds/Vertiser
Summary: It's been a week since Max made the most difficult choice of her life, letting Chloe die to save Arcadia Bay. Max struggles with consequences of her decision but it's too late to change time once more. Chloe is gone forever. Or is she?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, dear reader, and thank you for stopping by. The Raven's Path describes events taking place a few days after the Sacrifice Chloe ending. The story is consistent with the canon presented in the original game and Before the Storm, and all potential deviations will be marked in chapter notes.
> 
> Most of the story has been already written so you can expect pretty regular updates. New tags will be added as the story progresses, to avoid spoilers.
> 
> I want to sincerely thank [@DerekS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerekS/pseuds/DerekS) for proofreading this chapter. His invaluable suggestions and thoughtful feedback helped me improve this story a lot. Thank you so much, friend!
> 
> If you'd like to stay up-to-date with news about next chapters or learn more about the origin of The Raven's Path, feel free to check out my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kamilleziak) and [Tumblr](https://vertiser.tumblr.com).
> 
>  **Please be advised:** this fanfic contains a rather evocative description of depression and grief.

“Max, this is the only way.”

Chloe’s words sank deep in Max’s heart and with them, all hope. Up until this moment she could still hope, believe that there is a way out, that she can save both Chloe _and_ Arcadia Bay. But in her heart she knew it was impossible, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself. Chloe said what Max had already known. Destiny does not like to be mocked. It had just flipped Max off.

They were standing on the cliff overlooking the bay, near the lighthouse. Gusty wind whipped their faces and rain made them soaked to the bone. Max, however, did not pay the slightest attention to it, nor did she look toward the ocean, where a giant tornado, like a gargantuan beast, languorously but relentlessly headed for Arcadia Bay. Her whole world narrowed to the sad, tearful girl with blue hair, standing in front of Max, holding a Polaroid photo in her outstretched hand. Although the sky was covered with black clouds, surrounding the girls in a dim half-light, Max knew exactly what was in the picture. A blue butterfly who perched on a metal bucket for a moment, proudly spreading its fabulous wings.

“Chloe… I can’t make this choice!” she cried in despair, trying to shout over the storm raging around them.

“No, Max.” Chloe denied, looking intently into Max’s eyes. There was fear, but also confidence in her voice. “You are the only one who can.”

Max felt her tears mix with the raindrops running down her cheeks. She shook her head, as if she was trying to push it all away, refusing to acknowledge inevitability of the decision she was about to make. If she could keep time frozen forever, here and now, she would do so at all costs. She would give anything to preserve this moment, this piece of time in which Chloe, her lovely Chloe, is with her and the residents of Arcadia Bay are still safe. She would choose to spend eternity with Chloe, here and now, soaked and cold, on the edge of the cliff, among the gale and lightning.

Chloe came closer, taking Max’s hands in hers. Max felt Chloe put the picture in her hand and firmly closed her fingers on it, so that the wind would not carry it away.

“It’s time” Chloe said. Her voice was eerie calm, ethereal, like if it had not been born in the heart of the storm but somewhere far away, under a peaceful starry sky.

“Chloe, I…”

“I know, Max” Chloe smiled for a moment, which made Max’s heart break anew. “I love you too.”

Max, still holding the butterfly photo in her grasp, embraced Chloe and stood on her toes, joining their lips in a kiss. She felt Chloe reciprocate the embrace, not interrupting their kiss even for a moment. Her mouth tasted salty, like tears, but it was the most wonderful taste Max has ever experienced. She wanted to remember this moment with her whole body and mind, to imprint everything she was feeling in her memory. The closeness of Chloe, warmth of her body, her comforting touch. She wanted to engrave in her heart every second of that kiss, to never forget, to never let this memory fade.

After the eternity that lasted only a moment, Chloe gently took Max’s arms, pushing back slightly. Their lips parted forever.

“Please…” she pleaded quietly, her voice barely broking above sounds of the storm, “do it now, before… before I start getting scared again.”

Max couldn’t utter a word, overwhelming emotions took her speech away, so she just nodded. She looked at Chloe one last time, finding calmness and fleeting bliss in her expression. _God, how beautiful she is_ she thought, _my wonderful Chloe._

Max felt the wind grew stronger. She started to have problems maintaining her balance. She knew she couldn’t delay this moment any longer. She lowered her stare, fixing it on the Polaroid photo she now grasped with both hands. The butterfly in the photograph was beautiful and motionless. Max found it hard to focus her stare on the picture as the waves of rain lashed her face. After a moment of concentration, however, she began to see streaks of light in the picture and the butterfly’s contour started to blur out slightly, like it was about to fly away. Just a few seconds more and…

BANG!

The sound of the shot was so loud and unexpected that Max jumped involuntarily but she somehow held onto the photograph in her hand. She noticed in surprise that the photo was now speckled with little red spots… _What the--_

She immediately looked up, terrified.

Chloe was standing in front of her, her eyes focused on Max. In her gaze, however, there was no trace of calmness and bliss Max had just seen moments ago. Chloe’s eyes were wide open. An expression of surprise and confusion appeared on her face, slowly giving way to an unnerving grimace. Then Max saw it.

On Chloe’s ouroboros T-shirt, at the height of her heart, there was a rapidly expanding red patch.

“Chloe!”

It was as if Max’s cry had cut the invisible strings on which Chloe’s body was suspended. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground like a rag doll, landing hard on her back with a loud slap. Max lunged forward, dropping to her knees. The photo of a butterfly, speckled with blood, fell into a muddy puddle.

“Oh God, Chloe!” Max sobbed, unsuccessfully trying to lift Chloe’s limp body from the ground. Chloe didn’t move her head, but her eyes followed Max. She was trying to say something, moving her lips slightly, like a fish taken out of the water, but no sound came out of her mouth. As another flash of lightning illuminated the cliff Max saw that the puddle in which Chloe laid had deep red color. She felt panic rising quickly inside her.

“Hold on! We’ll fix it soon! I-I’ll rewind it, just hold on! Please, Chloe, hold on!”

Chloe’s mouth moved more and more slowly. She didn’t look at Max anymore, but straight up instead. Her eyes lost their glow, reflecting only the emptiness of the black sky above. Max broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

“Chloe, no…” she cried, laying her head on the chest of her lover. She outstretched her right arm, intending to rewind time, but then she heard the voice:

“Bitch is dead. You’ll join her soon.”

Max raised her head and felt her heart skip a beat. She saw Nathan Prescott standing in front of her and aiming at her with a pistol. Drops of rain evaporated with a hiss in contact with its barrel, the muzzle still emitting a faint trace of smoke.

“It’s not possible!” Max exclaimed in horror, “Jefferson killed you! You’re dead!”

Nathan smiled nastily, pointing the gun between her eyes.

“No. _You_ are dead.”

He fired.

 

*******

 

Max woke up to the sound of her own scream. She frantically looked around. Though it was still night, a weak streetlamp light permeated the room, faintly illuminating the wall decorated with dozens of Polaroid photographs. Max groped blindly for her phone, lying on the nightstand under the mirror. She checked the time.

10/15/2013 02:52 AM

Since Chloe’s death, Max hadn’t slept a single night peacefully. Nightmares haunted her every time, twisted visions of the Dark Room, Nathan, Mark Jefferson. Dreams full of traps, labyrinths, old barns with hidden bunkers, red binders with Chloe’s name on the spine. Max had hoped that something would have changed after the funeral. After all she did see a blue butterfly on Chloe’s coffin. She could have sworn it was the same butterfly she had seen in the bathroom four days earlier. Wasn’t that supposed to be a sign? A sign that she did the right thing? A sign that Chloe is happy that Max let her sacrifice herself for Joyce, for David, for all residents of Arcadia Bay?

If Max expected the butterfly to actually be a good omen that would bring her peace of mind, destiny once again sneered at her. After Chloe’s funeral Max did not feel any better. It was even worse. Every night she was reliving the fateful moment on the cliff when, in the shadow of the lighthouse, she said goodbye to her best friend, to her only love. Every night she faced the hardest decision of her life, always choosing the same, always sacrificing Chloe. Actually, she should be grateful that she had a slightly different nightmare this time. She woke up faster than usual, she didn’t have to relive what had happened in the bathroom, listen to Chloe’s terrified voice when Nathan was pointing his gun at her, listen to Nathan saying that no one would ever miss her… She didn’t have to look at the dead body of her girlfriend. The girlfriend who died convinced that everyone had left her and that the last words she had heard in her life, Nathan’s words, were true.

“Fuck it” Max muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes and trying to wipe away the tears that had already begun to obscure her vision. She can’t lose it now or she won’t sleep until morning. She touched the sheets and noticed they were wet with sweat, just like her pajamas. She got up and changed into dry clothes, grabbing some random pieces from the floor, not paying the slightest attention to how dirty or mismatched they were.

The dormitory was silent, the only discernible sound a faint snoring coming from a few rooms away. It was a surreal feeling for Max, to think about other girls sleeping peacefully while she was being tormented by nightmares and horrific memories. She turned the floor lamp on and sat on the couch, hugging her one-eyed teddy bear, Captain. She had to calm down, not let the emotions overcome her. _Think about something pleasant, Max. You certainly have some happy memories._

Max remembered how, when she was a small child, her dad took her to the lighthouse for the first time. It was a special day, with beautiful summer weather. The mayor organized a family picnic, which was why the lighthouse, normally off limits, was open to the public. Max was four, maybe five years old then. She was still too small and had too short legs to climb all these steps alone, but her dad took her in his arms and carried her to the very top, until they stepped onto the viewing balcony. Max will never forget that view. It was a sunny July afternoon, the sapphire ocean was calm, dotted with dozens of boats and sailboats. Arcadia Bay was bathed in golden light, it seemed that the whole town was made of pure gold, like in that fairy tale her mom had once read her. Her Dad even took a photo of Max on the balcony, with Arcadia Bay in the background, but it was lost along with the whole album five years ago, when they moved to Seattle. Max remembered that after visiting the lighthouse her parents took her for ice cream. When she dropper her Popsicle, she started crying… and a girl approached her and gave Max her own. Max felt butterflies in her stomach. That’s when she saw Chloe for the very first time. _Chloe_ … A sudden image of a lifeless body flashed before her eyes. _Shit!_ She was supposed to think about something happy. But it was too late, the dark void of despair had already grasped her with its claws.

Max did not go back to bed. She spent the rest of the night on the couch, hugging Captain and crying quietly, until at last, in the morning, merciful sleep took her in its arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to [@DerekS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerekS/pseuds/DerekS) for proofreading this chapter!

Max awoke to a soft knock on the door. When she opened her eyes, at first she was surprised why she was lying on the couch and not in her bed. Realization came a few seconds later, when she remembered the nightmares and a long hugging session with the one-eyed Captain. The knocking repeated.

“Max, are you there?” a gentle, calm voice on the other side of the door could only belong to Kate. “You were missing from the morning classes. Is everything okay?”

Max woke up completely when she heard it, feeling the adrenaline rushing through her veins. She looked at her phone. 12.10 PM. Great. First she couldn’t sleep for half of the night and then she overslept the entire morning. She missed English and the first photography class with the new teacher. She got up quickly and opened the door, standing face to face with Kate.

Max noticed that Kate was dressed like every day, in a simple white blouse and a black cardigan. A small golden cross hung on her upper chest. Max could see her photography notebook peeking out from inside her bag. Photography notebook sticked from the inside of her bag. A look of surprise crossed Kate’s face when she saw that Max was still in her panties and a T-shirt. Her concerned stare went to the black bags under Max’s eyes and her disheveled hair.

“Hello Max, how are you feeling?” she asked warmly.

“Not that good” Max shrugged. She didn’t try to hide anything. She didn’t have strength to do it. Besides, Kate was the only person she could count on, especially after they’d spent hours talking about the video from the Vortex Club party. Regardless of how gargantuan Max’s despair after losing Chloe was, she did her best to protect Kate against bullying after Victoria released the video online. Max talked to Kate a lot, trying to convince her that she was not alone, that Max supported her. Max could see that it really helped. That, and of course the arrest of Nathan Prescott. He was in deep trouble, the accusations of drugging and abducting Kate being the smallest of his problems, due to the fact he’s been also charged with the murder of Rachel Amber.

“May I come in?” Kate asked shyly, as if torn between the desire to help Max and the fear she would be unwelcome. Max smiled weakly and stepped aside.

“Of course, Kate! Have a seat” she gestured towards the couch.

Kate sat on the edge of the couch, laying her bag on the floor. She joined her hands in her lap and looked down, avoiding Max’s eyes.

"I know you are having a hard time," she said quietly, words coming out with a distinct difficulty. It was obvious that she was a bit anxious talking about this topic. “Chloe was your best childhood friend…”

Max looked at Kate, feeling a familiar twist of pain in her stomach that happened every time she heard Chloe’s name being spoken by someone else. She sat next to Kate and reached for the Captain, holding him in her lap. She wanted to interrupt Kate. Talking about Chloe was still too painful for her, but she knew that Kate wanted to say something important, so she gave her a chance. Of course neither Kate nor anyone else knew what _really_ happened last week. For everyone it was just a horrible coincidence that the tragedy associated with shooting a young girl happened in a building where her childhood friend was taking a class. Max did not even try to tell the truth to anyone. First of all, nobody would believe her. There were moments when she did not believe _herself_ , when it seemed to her that all was just a bad dream. But every time she visited Arcadia Bay cemetery and looked at the tombstone with the name Chloe Elizabeth Price, she knew it all had happened. Besides, saying the truth would not change a thing. It would not bring Chloe back to life so why should Max even bother?

“I just wanted to tell you” Kate’s voiced pulled Max out of her thoughts, “that I know how hard it is when you have to face the difficult situation alone. I…” she hesitated, blushing a little. “… there were moments when I had really stupid thoughts, after that Vortex Club video went viral…”

Max looked at Kate with compassion. She knew very well what thoughts Kate referred to. Her despair when almost everyone turned away from her, she got nothing but a condemnation from her family, while half of Blackwell kept bullying her, eventually leading to a suicide attempt. But Max could never tell Kate that. Nothing happened in this reality. Kate survived and that was the most important thing. Max would not screw it up.

“Anyway,” Kate said, “I want to tell you that… you’re not alone.” Kate finally lifted her head and looked at Max. Sadness and compassion visible on blonde’s face moved Max. “You know I’m here for you, Max. You can always talk to me.”

“Thank you Kate,” Max said in a quiet voice that was much more quivering than she had expected. It was hard for her to keep her emotions at bay but she couldn’t lose it now, in front of Kate. She knew how much it must have cost Kate to admit, even indirectly, to thoughts that overwhelmed her in the darkest hour,. Max didn’t intend to burden Kate with her own problems now. She cleared her throat, then continued on with a more confident voice, “you don’t even know how much it means to me.”

Kate smiled at Max in response and her voice gained a bit of confidence.

“I brought you notes from English class” she said, reaching into her bag and taking out the notebook with an angel drawn on its cover. “I marked out this week’s homework with colored sticky notes. Drop by if you have any questions and I’ll explain it to you.”

“For sure” Max forced a smile. Kate relaxed noticeably, seeing Max in better mood.

“Will you go to the afternoon classes?”

“Yes” Max nodded, “I just need to clean myself up and take a shower. We have Science Lab and Media Literacy, right?”

“Exactly. Do you want me to… stay with you for a while?” Kate gave her a quick look.

“No need” Max shook her head and stood up, putting Kate’s notebook on the desk. “I’ll see you in class.”

Kate blinked rapidly a few times, surprised by Max’s refusal. “Are you sure, Max?” she asked in shy, timid voice. “I mean… I know it’s your choice but… I don’t think you should be alone right now… I…”

“I’ll be fine, Kate” Max interrupted quickly, causing the smaller girl to blush. She appreciated Kate’s gesture, but she didn’t have enough strength to handle a lot of social interactions right now. She just wanted to be left alone. Still, she didn’t want to be so harsh to Kate. “I mean, I’ll still be seeing you in the class in less than two hours. You really don’t need to keep me company all the time.”

Kate didn’t seem to be convinced, but she dropped it. She smiled reassuringly at Max, although the smile did not reach her eyes, still looking sad after Max’s outburst.

“If you say so, Max… I’ll be going then.” 

Kate took her bag and stood up, headed for the door. When she was about to grab the doorknob, Max called:

“Kate…”

Kate turned away.  Max stood at the couch, holding her teddy bear.

“Thank you for being here” she added, smiling lightly, this time honestly.

“Thank you, Max!” Kate blushed, a faint glow of joy briefly illuminated her face. “For being here now and for being there for me when…”

She didn’t finish, instead she just waved to Max and disappeared in the hallway. When the door closed behind Kate, Max’s smile faded but didn’t go away completely. Max knew that Kate really meant what she said. She was ready to help her. Max was not alone. Somewhere deep Max felt a small spark of hope coming to life. Maybe she could survive the storm that raged in her heart…

 

***

 

Max did not remember much of the afternoon classes. Although she liked Ms. Grant and, in normal circumstances, she would appreciate interesting experiments the teacher had prepared for them, today she let Warren do all the work as they were lab partners Warren tried to talk to her several times, but Max ignored his efforts, pretending she was taking notes, although she didn’t pay attention to what she was writing. Media Literacy class wasn’t any better. Fortunately, the teacher was more interested in what he was saying than in whether the students were listening to him at all. That’s why Max spent the whole hour drawing tornadoes and butterflies in her notebook.

Although initially students were treated more lenient after the Monday shooting, Principal Wells quickly decided that the sooner life in Blackwell Academy resumes its normal rhythm, the better. This meant that they got new projects and homework every day. Max was way behind the schedule with all the school stuff and the pile of homework awaiting her in her room has reached dangerous size. She didn’t mind, though, because while it was boring and mind-numbing, it also allowed her to focus on something else that the events from the previous week, even if just for a little while. Max already knew that she was up for a long and busy evening, which is why she decided to go out for the dinner, to rest a little and gain some strength.  She usually didn’t have much appetite, so when the opportunity arose that she actually wanted to eat something, she decided to act on it. Also, she was hoping that the company of other people would keep her grief and sadness at bay.

 

Two Whales diner was full of people, like every afternoon. Max was lucky to take the last free booth. She sat hesitantly on the soft seat, placing her bag next to her. She spent a lot of time thinking whether she should’ve come back here. This place was full of both good and bad memories. Remnants of her conversations with Chloe echoed in Max’s head. Their first breakfast after reunion, when Chloe demanded proofs that Max could actually go back in time. Did it really happen just a week ago? Max had the impression it was in a completely different life. And in a sense it was.

Max could not explain it, but for some reason diner’s atmosphere gave her encouragement. It was busy and crowded, the noise of conversations, distant sounds of the TV, jingle of the cutlery. Normally it would make her anxious but today it helped her feel less alienated. It was at least a small shard of normality left in her truly chaotic life.

“What can I get you?” a middle-aged woman with beautiful red hair approached Max, smiling and holding her notepad. “Today we recommend delicious Belgian waffles.”

“I’ll have some then” Max replied after a short hesitation, “and a coffee, please” she added.

“Sure sweetie, I’ll be right back” the woman said, writing down Max’s order and returning behind the counter. 

Max looked in that direction. There were two waitresses on a shift today, but of course Joyce was not there. Max didn’t expect to see her. Joyce has not shown up at work since that Monday, taking a leave of absence for health reasons, as Max heard a few days ago, accidentally eavesdropping on a conversation in the diner.

The waitress came back, placing a mug in front of Max, to which she poured from a pitcher a black, steaming liquid with an aromatic scent. “Waffles will be ready soon” she said, smiling warmly at Max, and then she walked away, disappearing behind the door leading to the kitchen.

Max held a mug of coffee with both hands, absorbing its warmth and inhaling the pleasant aroma of the liquid within. Usually she was not a huge fan of coffee, but recently only coffee has kept her awake during classes, when after nights full of horrors and bad dreams she kept waking up even more tired than before falling asleep. She took a sip, feeling warmth slowly spreading through her body.

Max pulled her journal out of the bag, opening it on a blank page. She wrote today’s date, then below she wrote down a few sentences about what had been happening at Blackwell. Max continued to add entries to her journal after the storm, although she felt like she was writing everything incorrectly. The journal should be full of descriptions of how she and Chloe solved the mystery of Rachel’s disappearance, how they broke into Otter’s pool, spent time together at the junkyard, danced in Chloe’s room, _kissed_ in Chloe’s room. Max remembered all those moments like if they had happened only a week ago. Well, they really did happen a week ago, but also they have never happened since Max changed the timeline, undoing all the tweaks she made with her powers. All entries in her notebook dated before October 7th remained the same, but when she photojumped using that butterfly photo, the notes and drawings done during that fateful week disappeared, as if they have never been. 

Using her “normal” rewind Max would have probably kept her notebook unaffected, since all the items in her direct possession were going back in time with her, but the photojump was different. Max went back in time completely, keeping only her memories of the events that happened in the now-erased future. She had no idea why the photojump was working that way, but it wasn’t relevant anymore. She lost her future with Chloe forever.

Max did not dare to reproduce what she had written in the previous timeline. These memories were too painful for her, she could not relive them. Her new entries, starting on October 7th, described what happened after Max lost Chloe.  They were laconic, nearly devoid of illustrations, more like a brief summary of what happened on a given day rather than an introspection showing her thoughts and feelings. But Max didn’t care. What was the point? Her true self died in that bathroom with Chloe, leaving only an empty shell. The person Max was now had little to do with the hopeful, passionate version of herself from last week. 

“There you go” the red-haired waitress returned after few minutes, placing a plate full of Belgian waffles on a table in front of Max. Even despite her sour mood Max had to admit they looked delicious, with chocolate and whipped cream. She thanked the woman and pushed her notebook aside, taking up food. She was really hungry.

For a couple of minutes Max’s attention was focused solely on the food in front of her. These waffles were as good as she remembered, despite the fact they weren’t made by Joyce. When she was about to put away the plate, she heard someone’s footsteps, followed by the question:

“Care if I join you?”

The fork stopped halfway to Max’s mouth. That voice… It was impossible. Fearing what she would see, Max looked up.

In front of her stood Chloe Price in all her splendor, smiling mischievously. She was wearing faded jeans with suspenders, a Misfit Skull T-shirt and a black leather jacket. Without waiting for Max’s response she jumped on the seat on the opposite site of the table and sat there with crossed legs.

“I knew I would find you here” she said, pointing a finger at the plate in front of Max with a small piece of food left. “You would never miss the opportunity to nosh these delicious waffles.”

Max couldn’t utter a word, her brain going into overdrive. She blinked a few times, as if to make sure that what she saw was not an illusion. Chloe was sitting in front of her. Max could see the sunrays coming through the window and illuminating her face, she saw them playing on strands of blue hair protruding from under a navy beanie. She could smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke that permeated Chloe’s clothes. She noticed how the upholstery of the seat buckled under Chloe’s weight. Everything looked like Chloe actually was in the diner! Max felt her heart beating like crazy, her hands were sweaty and she was on a verge of a full-blown panic attack.

“Uh… you look like you just saw a ghost” Chloe said, surprised. She appeared to be thrown off by the befuddled look on Max’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Chloe,” Max faltered, putting the fork down on a plate with a soft cling, trying to control her shaking hands “it’s impossible.” She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head, like if she was trying to convince herself it was all an illusion.

“What’s impossible?” Chloe shrugged, growing impatient with Max’s unusual behavior.

Max opened her eyes. “You are dead!” she exclaimed, her voice heavy with emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Shock, fear, loss, pain, grief, hope, _love._ It was too much, Max knew she would lose it soon. _It’s not possible. It’s not possible. It’s not possible..._

Chloe looked at her suspiciously and leaned forward, sniffing like a hunting dog.

“Did you smoke anything? You act like you’re hella high.”

“No!” Max denied, although it sounded like she wasn’t really talking to Chloe. “No,” she repeated, shaking her head and avoiding Chloe’s stare, “you are not here…”

Chloe’s look went from moderately surprised to completely bewildered.

“If I’m not here then how is it possible we’re talking?” she asked, scratching the back of her head.

Max fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, frantically looking around. Everything in Two Whales seemed to be in place. Time flowed normally, people kept talking. Max looked at the fisherman in a flannel shirt, sitting at the bar and drinking some tea. He appeared completely ordinary, wasn’t frozen in time or anything. When he caught her gaze and frowned, Max quickly turned her head to the window. In the distance she could see the lighthouse, sitting atop a cliff on the opposite site of Arcadia Bay. Afternoon light reflected on the white part of the upper façade, making the building even more prominent landmark than usual. Max grimaced, worry building up in her heart. It couldn’t be a moment of past experienced during a photojump, because then Max would see clearly the boundaries of the accessible space, everything else would be hidden behind some sort of multi-colored veil. Besides, she was sure she did not photojump, nor did she rewind. What was going on? Did she finally lose it?

“You look as if a big ass carnivore rabbit would suddenly jump out of nowhere and devour us all” Chloe said half-jokingly, observing Max’s restless gaze with worry. “Will you tell me what the hell is going on? Is this some kind of practical joke or something? Did you hurt your head?”

Max moved her look onto the girl sitting in front of her.

“Chloe…” she faltered, barely controlling her emotions. She tried to contain her feelings, she couldn’t allow herself even a glimmer of hope that Chloe was actually in front of her. If Max let that flame flare up again, she would not survive when it would inevitably have to go out. _Chloe is dead. She’s dead. It’s just an illusion. Some fucked-up hallucination._ “You can’t really be here” she said quietly, feeling something block the voice in her throat. “You… you died a week ago at Blackwell Academy, shot by Nathan Prescott.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide with shock. A slight amusement visible on her face moments ago disappeared completely, replaced by genuine worry and care.

“Max, what are you talking about?” she looked Max straight in the eyes. Consternation that was clearly painted on her face made Max feel uncomfortable, as if she had just uttered some pure nonsense. “Nathan…” Chloe continued after a brief pause, “he… shot himself last Monday, remember? You told me about it yourself.”

Max’s jaw dropped, “what?”

“You told me how you heard shots in Jefferson’s classroom and… then Nathan went out into the hallway running amok, brandishing a gun. You were afraid he would shoot you… “ Chloe hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should continue. “You… saw him putting the muzzle into his mouth and… pulling the trigger, you said it yourself. There were witnesses. Whole Blackwell saw it. Wells, David, that chemistry teacher…”

Max jerked her hand, like if wanting to distance herself from Chloe’s words, and accidentally knocked over her mug of coffee, spilling the liquid onto the journal still lying on the table.

“Shit!” she said, quickly picking up her notebook and placing it on the dry part of the table. “No, it’s not what happened at all! It was all different!”

“It’s fine!” the red-haired waitress appeared out of the blue, wiping the coffee stain from the table with a cloth. “I’ll get you another mug. And you, honey, do you want something?” she asked Chloe.

Max opened her mouth in disbelief. She grabbed woman’s wrist, “Wait! Can you see her?” 

The waitress frowned. “I don’t understand. Your friend isn’t invisible, right?”

“Right!” Chloe nodded, suddenly grabbing Max’s plate and pushing the last piece of waffle into her mouth. “I ain’t no wizard! Damn, these are even better than usual! Same for me, please!” she said, licking her fingers and pointing at Max’s empty plate.

“Sure, honey” the waitress smiled and returned to the counter, leaving Max in a state of even bigger confusion.

Max felt like she was losing ground under her feet. It didn’t make any sense. Her mind told her that Chloe could not possibly be there, but all her senses were saying that at the opposite side of the table there was in fact a blue-haired girl with an insatiable appetite for Belgian waffles. In a gesture of desperation Max reached out and touched Chloe’s hand resting on the table. She expected not to encounter any resistance, only a cold tabletop. She felt a shiver as her hand touched Chloe’s soft, warm skin. Immediately she reached out with her other hand, delicately grasping Chloe’s hand in both of hers, lifting it and pressing it against her cheek, to Chloe’s even greater surprise.

“Hey, Max” she said in a gentle voice, slightly embarrassed by this sudden display of affection, “I know you are glad to see me and we can totally make out in my truck later, but maybe first tell me why you’re acting so weird? Plus, I’m not going anywhere until I eat all the Belgian waffles in Two Whales, this shit is addictive!” she added playfully.

Max snorted hearing Chloe’s antics and started crying. The wall she meticulously built in her heart to detach herself from all the emotions broke, overwhelming her with so many feelings…

“Shh… it’s okay, you’re okay Max” Chloe quickly walked around the table, hugging Max to her chest. “All right, you don’t need to say anything, I’m just teasing you, it’s okay now…”

“I was so scared” Max whispered, feeling tears running down her cheeks. “I lost you, Chloe! I lost you and you died!” she sobbed. “I was alone… It was terrible!”

Even if Max’s words seemed a bit weird to Chloe, she didn’t comment it in any way. Instead, she embraced Max with one hand and gently stroked her hair with the other.

“It’s alright… I’m here, Max. Safe and sound… I’m not going anywhere… I’m never leaving you, I promise.”

Max wanted to say something but the emotions tightened her throat so she just kept hugging Chloe. Chloe was real, Max felt her warmth, felt her touch, she could smell her, hear the beating of her heart. Chloe was real. She was there. She was with Max.

Soon the waitress came back with Chloe’s order, but Chloe only waved her hand, signalling the woman to leave the plate with waffles at the edge of the table. The waitress, proficient in reading people and their emotions, didn’t say a word. She left the plate next to Chloe and went back to serving other patrons.

After a long while Max began to calm down slowly, her crying went into intermittent sniffing. Chloe relaxed her grip and let Max fall back into her seat. Then she sat down in front of brunette, but moved closer to reduce the distance between them. She was patient and did not say anything at all, it was so unlike her. Only when Max calmed down even more and her breathing returned to normal, Chloe broke the silence.

“Would you like to tell me about everything? she asked Max carefully, observing her reaction, ready  to give her the necessary support at any moment, should the brunette start crying again.

Max nodded, but she didn’t say anything yet. She would lose it again if she was forced to tell Chloe about all her fears and the nightmares she had been experiencing since last week. In order to gain some time she reached for her journal, still bearing traces of the recent coffee spill. Max opened it and began looking through the wet pages until she reached October 7th. Although the coffee-stained pages turned beige, Max could still read her notes without much difficulty. One look was enough to ensure her that she still had access to all the new entries that followed Chloe’s sacrifice to save Arcadia Bay from the storm. Nothing has changed. She still could read the description of Chloe’s death in the bathroom, informations about the arrest of Nathan and Jefferson. Finally, she reached the eleventh of October. There wasn’t much text on the page, just one paragraph describing Chloe’s funeral, under which Max drew a tombstone with two names:

WILLIAM PRICE

CHLOE ELIZABETH PRICE

There was a butterfly sitting at the top of the stone, spreading its blue wings.

Max flipped the notebook and, without a word, placed it on a table in front of Chloe. Chloe took it in her hands and looked at Max questioningly, as if to confirm that it was okay for her to read Max’s journal. Max nodded.

“Start from the seventh of October” she said.

 

Max’s coffee served in a new mug got cold, just like Chloe’s Belgian waffles, left untouched on a plate. Chloe was staring at the note and the drawing left under a date of eleventh of October for a long time.

“Max,” she started, her voice changed, “this is some serious shit.”

“It really happened, Chloe” Max assured her. “I remember all of it, just as I remember our farewell at the lighthouse when you told me… when you asked me to… to…” Max’s voice began to break again. Why was it so difficult? Why she could not get over it? Chloe was with her. Chloe in flesh and blood and she wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe in fact what happened on the cliff and later in Blackwell’s bathroom was a real nightmare that Max has finally woke up from?

“Fuck it” Chloe said, closing the journal and pushing it back to Max’s side of the table. “I have no idea what it could have been, some temporal disturbance or some other shit. Here and now is what matters. I’m alive. You’re alive. Nathan and Jefferson aren’t. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

Max closed her eyes, trying to imagine the scene which Chloe described at the beginning of their conversation. Nathan with gun, sound of shots being fired in Jefferson’s classroom. She didn’t remember anything, not even the smallest detail, not a thing. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. _It’s okay, Chloe is here with me. My lovely Chloe is here. We’re here._ When Max opened her eyes, she saw that Chloe had propped her head on her elbows and was staring at Max with a slightly dreamy look.

“For a moment I forgot how fabulous you look when you’re lost in your thoughts” she said, smiling.

For the first time in eight days, Max smiled back completely honestly.

“Tell me everything, Chloe.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! Next parts will follow in a much quicker fashion. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider leaving a comment ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank [@DerekS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerekS/pseuds/DerekS) for his support and valuable insights that helped me to improve this chapter.

“You must remember that what I’m about to tell you, I know from you” Chloe emphasised, settling herself comfortable in the booth in Two Whales diner. “I also could have messed something up, ‘cos you weren’t exactly telling me everything too well. You were hella upset when you came to our house in the middle of the night, crying your eyes out… David was furious…”

“What?” Max opened her mouth, perplexed. She did not remember any of this. “I came to your house in the middle of the night?!”

Chloe nodded, placing a huge piece of Belgian waffle in her mouth.

“Last Monday, just before the midnight” she said with full mouth. She swallowed and continued in normal voice. “I imagined our first meeting after years in many different ways but definitely not like that. You lost it. You kept knocking on the door until David finally opened to you, mad as fuck. He didn’t want to let you in, but you were crying so loudly that it woke Joyce up. And when she saw you, she immediately took you inside.”

Max blinked in surprise. She listened to Chloe completely stunned and confused. To fight her nervousness, she doodled in her journal, keeping her eyes fixed on Chloe as she told the story.

“It’s good that David opened the door instead of you” Max said after a moment. “You’d have been in quite a shock seeing me in that state.”

Chloe gave her a careful look.

“Dude,” she said, perplexed. “I _saw_ you in that state. Joyce led you to the kitchen and asked what happened, but you were not able to say anything more than just my name and the word “please”, over and over again. So she went upstairs for me.”

Max blushed, embarrassed. Was she really such a mess that the only thought in her mind was to see Chloe? She only hoped that no unnecessary confession had escaped her. She had no idea how the past week and their adventures looked from Chloe’s perspective. Max preferred not to reveal how she felt about Chloe with some uncalled love confessions in the middle of the night.

“How did you react when Joyce called you?” she changed the subject slightly, to steer the conversation away from the delicate topic. “You must’ve been quite surprised.”

Chloe’s hand holding a fork with a piece of waffle froze halfway to her mouth. Suddenly a grimace of shame crossed her face, which did not escape Max’s attention.

“What happened?” Max asked, curious.

“I…” Chloe began uncertainly, putting the fork down and peering out the window to gain time. She sighed, unwilling to meet Max’s curious gaze. “Joyce came to my room and said “Come quickly, you will not believe who is waiting for you downstairs.” I was completely unprepared. At first I thought that…” her voice faltered slightly, “that Rachel Amber had finally come back to me.” She hung her head low and looked into her plate.

Max felt a twinge of sadness, but she tried to cover it up quickly. _That’s normal,_ she thought, _Rachel was Chloe’s closest friend all these years when I was away. It does not mean anything bad for me. I should not care._ So why did she care?

Chloe glanced up briefly at Max, waiting for her comment. Evidently, she took Max’s prolonged silence as a bad sign, because a moment later she hurried to explain.

“I know this is hella lame” she blurted out apologetically, “Rachel’s been missing for six months, I should’ve known chances of… of finding her alive were slim… but at that time I didn’t know about Nathan and Jefferson yet, about their sick project… David didn’t tell me a thing about what had happened in Blackwell, so I thought… I thought she… came back…”

“Chloe” Max reached out across the table, taking Chloe’s hand in hers. This gesture made Chloe look up at Max, with uncertainty and fear of rejection plainly visible on her face. “I understand. You do not have to explain yourself.”

Chloe’s tensed body relaxed a bit in reaction to these words. She let her breath out slowly and looked Max in the eyes. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“What exactly happened that day, Chloe?”

Chloe took her beanie off and ruffled her hair in a gesture of frustration. That’s when Max realized that she had not seen Chloe taking off her beanie in front of her. Yes, sometimes Max saw her without the beanie, but never witnessed Chloe taking it off.

“You really don’t remember that?” Chloe asked with a faint hope. “It would’ve been hella easier if I didn’t have to tell you all of this. I feel like a total douche remembering how I reacted to Joyce’s words.”

Max shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Chloe, I really don’t remember anything of what you’ve just told me. I don’t know why your memories and mine are completely different. But we don’t have to get through this now if you don’t want to…”

“No, it’s alright” Chloe waved her hand, interrupting Max. “We need to figure this shit out anyway…“

She took a deep breath, then continued.

“So, when my mother came to my room, talking about an unexpected guest, I immediately asked “Rachel is here?” I only needed to look at her face to know that I missed. It wasn’t about Rachel. Then Joyce said to me in a calm voice, “Max is here” And I… I…” she paused, obviously embarrassed.

“It’s okay” Max said warmly, trying to encourage her, “you can tell me.”

Chloe sighed loudly. “Fuck… here it goes… Joyce said “Max is here” and I asked… “what Max?””

Max opened her eyes wide, surprised, but she didn’t react in any way. She gave Chloe a moment to compose her thoughts and in fact, a few seconds later, Chloe continued, picking aimlessly with a fork at the last Belgian waffle on her plate.

“In my defense, I must admit that I was high” she said, slowly disintegrating the waffle on her plate, not paying it much attention. “I got a fresh stack of weed from Frank and I didn’t wait too long to try it out. I was baked and probably that’s why, when Joyce said “Max Caulfield!”, I… laughed.”

For the second time during their conversation Max felt sadness seeping into her heart. She knew she needed to be patient and forgiving. In the end, Chloe had gone through so much: William’s death, school problems, despotic stepfather. Max had not been there, she hadn’t supported Chloe in any situation when Chloe had needed it. It was logical and understandable that she should not expect Chloe to wait for her for five years, hoping that any moment, any day, Max would come back and everything would be exactly as before. Why then, did Max feel disappointment?

Chloe fell silent, staring out the window. Suddenly, the chatter and sounds of Two Whales seemed distant to Max, as if they did not matter at all, as if she and Chloe were the only people in the diner. Only Chloe mattered to her. Max was sad that Chloe had reacted in a way she did, but she also noticed that Chloe was feeling bad about it. Since she’s feeling remorse, she must care for Max, right? No, let’s not over-interpret the facts. Chloe is sad because she had acted badly against her childhood friend but that does not mean she feels something more for Max… _Max, do not make it more complicated than it already is!_

“It’s fine, Chloe” Max said, pushing the plates aside and holding both hands out to Chloe. She took one of Chloe’s hand and began to gently stroke it. Chloe turned away from window and looked at Max with a hint of hope.

“You know” Max began, keeping to stroke Chloe’s hand, “I could never be angry with you. There is no reason. You reacted like everyone else would’ve in your place, maybe even better! I don’t even know how I would react in such a situation.”

“Well, you probably would not have burst out laughing at the mention of your best friend” Chloe snorted.

“Who knows?” Max shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter. Don’t worry. What happened next?”

Chloe stared at Max intently, looking for any sings of irony or mocking, but she saw only genuine interest and concern. She continued, a bit more confident.

“When it finally dawned at me that Joyce wasn’t joking, a thousand thoughts ran through my head. But because it was me and I was high, most of them didn’t make much sense. Joyce just grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room, telling me to move and go downstairs, because you obviously needed me. When I entered the living room, I found you sitting at the table and crying your eyes out. David sat diagonally to you, clearly in a bad mood, but thankfully he didn’t speak. When you heard my footsteps, you turned your head and looked at me, and then you started crying even more. You got up instantly, ran across the hall and threw yourself in my arms, nearly tipping me over. And then you started saying “I’m sorry” over and over again.”

Max nodded, contemplating Chloe’s words. Although she didn’t remember any of it, it all sounded like something she could have done when having a breakdown, especially if that was the first time she saw Chloe in five years.

“What happened next?”

“We talked. A lot. For a long time. Joyce made you some tea and took David upstairs, to give us some privacy. She probably knew you wanted to talk about what happened at Blackwell. David didn’t tell me a thing about the shooting but mom certainly knew. You told me about how you had been in photography class and your teacher, Jefferson, was teaching you some nonsense about composition or something.” Chloe waved her hand dismissively. “Sorry, Max, I don’t remember what it was exactly, it’s irrelevant anyway. Apparently you were the last student to leave the class because you talked to Jefferson about some photo contest. When you were leaving the classroom, you saw Nathan passing you in the doorway. You said that you had heard him talking to Jefferson, and then there were some angry screams, they argued or something. And then there were gunshots.

These words sent a cold shiver down Max’s spine. The things Chloe was talking about were terrifying, and Chloe was only repeating Max’s account. Max apparently had _seen_ it all with her own eyes. It must have been utterly shocking for her, since she had experienced a total emotional breakdown and wandered from Blackwell to Price’s house in the middle of the night.

Chloe took a sip of her coffee and continued.

“Apparently you were halfway down the hall when doors to Jefferson’s class opened and Nathan came out, his face… splattered with blood, a gun in his hand” Chloe’s tone become more serious. “You said there was madness in his eyes. He was mumbling to himself, he didn’t seem to see anyone around. Everyone was overcome with panic, they probably thought it was another case of school shooting and they were about to die…”

Chloe sighed and looked at Max with concern.

“I’m sorry, it’s hard for me to talk about it, even though I didn’t see it with my own eyes. It must be even worse for you.”

Max smiled wanly.

“It’s alright, I’ll let you know if I need a break.”

“Okay. So, Nathan went out of the classroom with a mad look. Some students fled, the ones standing closest to him got down to the ground. You told me that the doors at the opposite side of the hall had opened and your chemistry teacher came out.”

“Miss Grant?”

Chloe nodded. “She glanced at Nathan and his gun and immediately started calling for help. Then Nathan flipped out. He was waving his gun and shouting, something about a storm or something? I’m sorry, I didn’t get many details, you were crying so much when you told me all of this… Anyway, Wells and David reached the hallway at the exact moment when Nathan said that life didn’t make any sense and you all would be dead soon because of the storm. And then… then…” she faltered. “He just shot himself.”

Max felt that her stomach dropped. Storm. This storm. It could not be a coincidence! Nathan was talking about the storm, but in this reality the storm had never happened, it _couldn’t_ happen after Max had sacrificed Chloe… She made sure to save the town, she never even used her powers afterwards! But if she did sacrifice Chloe, why was Chloe alive now, sitting with her in Two Whales? What’s happening? What about the storm? She started to feel a bit strange…

“Are you okay, Max?” Chloe asked in a worried voice. She moved from her seat and sat down next to Max, pressing the palm of her hand against Max’s forehead. “You are terribly pale and cold.”

Max’s head began to spin. She didn’t know if it was from emotions or stress, or if something else was happening to her. She leaned heavily against Chloe, trying to stay upright.

“I feel a bit dizzy” she mumbled weakly.

“Shit, Max!” Chloe called, holding her so she would not fall over. “I shouldn’t have told you all this stuff at once. That was too much…”

Max opened her mouth to reply, but she felt overwhelming weakness. Her field of vision was gradually narrowing, tingling sensation was rising in her hands, covered in cold sweat. She was afraid she would pass out soon. She wanted to say something to Chloe but her tongue was completely numb.

Desperately trying to stay awake, Max heard Chloe’s frightened voice calling for help. It sounded as if Chloe was so far away… Max did not manage to hear anyone’s answer, she slipped into the darkness.


End file.
